Speed governor and driving control for automotive vehicles



June 4, 1940. 2,203,446. `SPEED GoYERNon AND DRIVING CONTROL FonAuToMol-Ivm vEHrcLEs c. v. SHEARER .Filed June 5, 1939 2 sheets-sheet 1AWOQ Nx .u @www N1 MN. it"

ATTORNEYS C. V. SHEARER June 4, 1940. 2,203,446 SPEED GOVERNOR ANODRIVING CONTROL FOR AUTOMOTIVE vEHIOLEs Filed June 5, 41939 Y ,2sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEYS ofilcial seal. i the line 4-4of Figure 3showingthe pointer and A further object is to 'provide apparatus or SpringDressed adjusting pin thereof. 10 this type which will automaticallydrive the ve- Figure 5 is a fragmentary rear elevation of 30 A furtherobject of the invention is to proeter. A exible shaft Il is connected tothe 3o Puentes June 4,1941; l i t l l 2,203,445'- UNITED s-'l-"n'lss-lPATENT osi-lcs l sana-14s t SPEED GOVERNOR. DRIVING CONTROL FORAUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES i Charles V. Shearer, Capitan, N. Mex. `ApplicationJune 5, 1939, Seriall No. 277,568

1 claim.r (ci. lsv- 139) This invention relates to a speed governor anding control constructed in accordance with the driving control forautomotive vehicles and has invention.

for an object to provideapparatus which will Figure 2 is a top plan viewof the carburetor limit the speed of the vehicle to any desired andparts associated therewith.

5 speed. which maybe instantly adjusted, and Figure 3 is a frontelevation of the control i which may be, adjusted to a top speed beyonddial'for manually setting the device to limit the which it can not bereadjusted without authorspeed of the vehicle. ity of the proper key. orwithout breaking an Figure 4 is a vertical sectional -view taken onhicle at the speed for which it is set without the dial Shown in Figure4 and showing the seal manual manipulation of the throttle, and inforlocking the device permanently against becludes means whereby any slightfluctuation of ing set for greater than predetermined speed,

speed will cause a sumcient increase or decrease Figure 6 is a detailsectional view taken on 15 of fuel fed to themotorl as may be necessaryto the line 6 6 of Figure 3 and Showing the key restore thedesiredvehicle speed; operated mechanism for adjusting the abutment Afurther 'object is to provide apparatus of on the dial to limit thedeviceto a top speed. this character in which the throttle lever on theFigure 7 iS a fragmentary Cross Sectional view carbureter is adapted torespond to a dual contaken on the line 'l-l of Figure l showing the i0trol, either the conventional `foot operated actWO rotating members andthe setting dial for celerator, or the governing mechanism of this01181181118 the relative Position of one member invention, that is,either device may close the With'reSDeet t0 the other member.

throttle lever, or either device may allow it to Figure 8 iS a tOD planview of the accelerator open. there being tension means for causing theDedaLthe release pedal and Darts of the mecha- 25 throttle lever ,toopen unless either the manualniSm Operated thereby. ly controlled footaccelerator or the governing Referring now to the drawings in which likemechanism causes it to close, or prevents it from characters* ofreference designate similar parts opening beyond a certain point. in thevarious views, l0 designatesa speedom- `vide apparatus of this typewhich essentially speedometer shaft l2 through the medium ofcomprisestwo rotating members rotating in such meshing bevel gears i3and has a speed of rotaa relative manner that when absolutely syntion inexact ratio to the speed of the vehicle at chronized there will be nomovement on the all times. Y t V throttle lever, but when not inabsolute -yn- A governor rod Il is connected at one end to 35chronization, one will be propelled forward or the flexible shaft Il tobe rotated thereby and backward to open or close the throttle lever asis provided intermediate its ends with a screw the case may be, one ofthese members being thread I5 adapted to mesh with a screwthrea'dactuated by a moving part of the vehicle and in I6 formed axially in thehub Il of a governor direct ratio to the speed of the vehicle and thedisc ll which is rotatably mounted between the au other member beingrotated bya separate source side plates I9 of a casing 20. Ball hearingsof power, 2l are disposed between the ends of the hub and With the aboveand other objects in view the the side plates to reduce friction.

invention consists of certain novel details of The governor rod Il isengaged axially through construction and combinations of partshereintubular bearings 22 which project from the side @5 after fullydescribed and claimed, it being underplates in alignment. The ends ofthe bearings stood that various modications may be resorted are closedby walls 23 having openings `which to within the scope of the appendedclaim withslidably rotatably receive the governor rod itl. out departingfrom the spirit or sacrincing an Helical springs 24 and 2i areinterposed between 4oi! the advantages oi the invention. the walls 23and ball bearing assemblies 2 and m In the accompanying drawings formingpart 21 carried by the rod. These assemblies are of this specirlcation,slidable in the tubular bearings 22 and are limitligure 1- is alongitudinal sectional view,4 with ed in movement under urge of theirrespective u parts in elevation, of a speed governor and drivhelicalsprings by shoulders 2l and, 2.'.- formed on as the inner cylindricalwalls of the tubular bearand which is equipped with a hand 4I, herein-.Y

ings 22.

. The governor disc I 8 is rotated through the medium of a frictionwheel which is disposed on a shaft 3l which is mounted in a gear casey32 integral with the casing 20 and which extends at a right angle tothe governor-rod I4. The shaft 3| is connected to a motor 33 or othersuitable source of power forrotating thefriction wheel 30 at apredetermined speed.

The friction wheel is -mounted for vsliding movement longitudinally ofthe motor shaft 3i to drive the governor disc IB at a predeterminedspeed and for this purpose, asA shown in Figure '7, it is provided witha grooved pulley 34 which in engaged by a yoke. 35 carried by a rack 3Blwhich is slidably mounted in a guide 31 disposed in .the gear case 32'.A pinion 38 is meshed with the rack and is provided with a shaft 39which passes through a dial 40on the instrument board after more fullydescribed,'for moving the shaft 39 and consequently the rack 36todispose the friction disc 30 on the governor disc I8 at any radialposition from the hub I1 thereof to the periphery of the disc.

When the speed of the motor driven governor I -disc I8 and the speed ofthe' speedometer driven governor rod I4 are equal, lthat issynchronized.

'the threads I5 of the rod will be engaged with the'threads I6 of thegovernor discbut there will bey no endwise movement of the governor rodthrough the governor disc. Should, however, the governorrod i4 rotateslower than the governor disc I8, the rod I4 will be screwed endwise tothe left until synchronization is restored, orif delayed, will cause it,rod It, to be retracted out of the governor disc, as shown in Figure l,and

f compress the spring 24 behind the ball bearing assembly 26. The springis thus tensioned to move the rod back to engage thevthreads I6 of thegovernor disc I3 when the ratio of speed between the governor ro'd I4and governor disc I8 is reversed, that is, when the governor rod I4begins to rotate faster than the governor disc, thus screwing itendwiseto the right until synchronization is restored. Or if delayed,will cause it to be advanced out of the governor disc and compress thespring 25 which thus becomes tensioned to cause the'threads i5 to meshwith. the threads I6 when the ratio of speed is again reversed.

The throttle lever 42 of the carburetor 43 is connected at its outer endto the center of the cross bar 44, best shown in Figure 2. One end ofthe bar is `pivotally connected to one end of a link 545, the other endof the lint. being pivotally connected, as shown atte, `to a sleeve diwhich telescopically receives thegovernor rod ii.

'A helical spring de is connected at one end to the cross bar 6d and atthe other end to a stabe seen that the foot accelerator pedal de bearsat its free end upon a pin E@ which extends from theA end of a crank arm5i which is Vrotatably mounted on a stubshaft 52 disposed in a bearing53 carried by ya lstationarypart 54 of the vehicle.l -The free vendofthe bell crank lever is pivotallyconnef'cted, asshown at 55, to a footaccelerator rod 56 which is telescopically engaged in a sleeve51 havingan integral extension B3 piv- 1, 2 and a, it will otally secured to theadjacent end of the cross bar 44.

y It may now be seen that while the acceleratorA rod 56 may propel thethrottle lever 42 to a.

closed position bycontacting the end of the sleeve 51, it cannot retractthe throttle lever to anopen position. The accelerator rod may, however,pull out of the sleeve, and then the throttle lever actuated by thetension spring 4! will follow it, unless or until the governormechanism, above described,` propels the governor rod i4 into its sleeve41, and causes the throttle lever to close, or allows it to open nofarther. It will also be seen that the manual control of the carburetorthrough the foot accelerator pedal may permit the throttle lever 42 tomove to full' open or any intermediate position, by retracting theaccelerator rod 56 out of the sleeve 51, un-

ltil the governor rod sleeve 41 moves to its limit upon the governor rod\.I4,\at a predetermined speed of the governor disc` I8. When the sleeve41 contacts the end of the governor rod I4, the governor mechanismbegins to operate and will not allow the throttle lever to open anyfarther, and in this manner takes control of the driving,

allowing and causing only the throttle lever movement necessary tosupply the fuel to maintain a predetermined speed. In actual drivingprac` tice, when the governor.,mechanism takes control, the driverwillfind .that he has lost his foot feed ando-cannot open the throttle leverfarther, butfionthev other hand, may release the accelerator andlimmediately close the throttle lever, as will now be described.

By referring to Figures land 8, it will lbe seen that a pin 59 projectslaterally from a pedal 60,

which may be either the clutch pedal or the brake pedal. A lever 6I issecured to a shaft $2- which is journaled in a bearing 63 carried by astationary part of the vehicle. A dog 64 is piv- -oted intermediate itsends on the free end of shown in dotted lines in Figure l, theaccelerator rod 56 is retracted from its sleeve 51 and the governormechanism ls controlling the throttle lever 42. V

To resume manual control, the accelerator pedal-is released bydepressing'the'pedal t@ to move the pin 59 downwardly to engage thelever 6I and rock the shaft 62 which swings the latch member ti out ofengagement with the accelerator pedal. The accelerator pedal isimmediately returned to normal position through the medium of a spring6B which is secured at one end to the bell crank lever 5i and is securedat the other end toa stationary part of the vehicle. During downwardmovement of the pedal Bil, as soonl as the pin 59 rides oif of thebeveled edge 58 of the dog 5d, a helical spring 69, connected to theupper end, of the latch member 61 and to a stationary part of thevehicle, returns the latch member and lever Bi to normal position. Whenthe operator releases the pedal 60, the pin 59 strikes the dos 464 androcks it on its pivot until the pin rides Gil shaft 62 independently ofthe pedal 6l), a pedal' 12 is secured'to the shaft i2 and overhangs theupper end of the accelerator pedal 59. The pedal 12 may be depressed torock the shaft G2 and disengage the latch member 61 from the, depressedaccelerator pedal 49.

The heretofore referred to' dial 40 and indicator hand ll controls thespeed of rotation of the governor disc I8. 'The dial is calibratedY'with numerals 13, as shown in Figure 3, indicative of speed in milesper hour. The indicator hand Il moves over these numerals and near itsfree end is equipped with a spring pressed plunger 1A, best l shown inFigure 4, housed within a handle 15 for manually moving the plunger overa toothed ring 16, hereinafter more fully described. The indicator maybe set to indicate any desired speed at which point, the governor disci9 will have aspeed equal to that of the governor rod i4 by virtue ofthe friction driving disc 30 being positioned by such movement of theindicator` hand at a predetermined localized point radially of the`governor disc.

The ring 16 is rotatably mounted in a groove 11 formed in the rear faceof the dial and a back plate 'I8 is secured to the rear face of the dialto hold the ring in p'lace. The ring is equipped with a stud 'I9 whichforms a stop to 11min manual movement of the indicator Hanau, in aclockwise direction. Thus the driver may set the hand 4I manually at anypoint on the caliup to that speed indicating numeral at which the studis set.

The lock device for locking the ring 19 in adjusted positions comprisesa lock casing 8lmounted on a base plate Il which is'secured to the dialthrough the medium `oi' bolts 82 which are interchangeably received intwo annular sen ries of openings Il formed in the dial and back plate onsides ot the ring. A lock cylinder 0l' is rotatably mounted in thecasing and is provided "wlthaspiralgroovellwhichreceivesalusl member.

carried by the casing. The cylinder terminates at one end ln a tooth"adapted to engage between teeth of the ring 16. A key 98 is lnsertablein a slot 89 formed in the opposite end of the cylinder for moving thecylinder outwardly or inwardly to engage or disengage the tooth 81withthe teeth of the ring. When the cylinder is moved outwardly. thering may be rotated to dispose the stop lug 19' at any predeterminedspeed indicating numeral on the dial. When the cylinder is movedinwardly, the ringis locked in adjusted position;

The lock device may be located at a. speed indicatng numeral beyondwhich no greater speed is desired. Thus when the ring 16 is unlocked.

the stud 19 may be setat any position on the diall from zero up to thelock device but not beyond the lock device. When for any reason it isdesired to permanently seal the lock device against being adjusted, awire Slis looped through the bolts 82 at the back of the dial and theends are joined through the medium of a sealing disc 9 i.

As shown in Figure 2, a seal 92 is disposed at the 'connection betweenthe cross bar 44 `and the link 45. .The seal may be broken and the c onIn aspeed governor for automotive vehicles,

the combination of a carburetor having a throt- .tle lever, a governorrod, a spring connected to the throttle lever and constantly tending tohold the throttle lever open, a member connected to the throttle leverand telescopically receiving the free end of the governor rod, a springcontrolled accelerator pedal, a bell ,crank lever connected to thepedal, an accelerator rod connected to the bell crank lever, a memberconnected to the throttle lever telescopically receiving the acceleratorrod, said accelerator rod being adapted to be retracted from the lastnamed member when the pedal is depressed to permit the' throttle leverto Iii) be adjusted by the rst named spring to a limit determined by theposition of said governor rod when the latter is telescoped into the rstnamed CHARLES V. SHEARER.

